Illness is the night side of life, a more onerous citizenship. Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship, in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. (Susan Sontag, “Illness as metaphor”. Quoted in The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee).

Literature is a record of human experiences. Disease has become a part of human life. In order to overcome diseases, music has been used as a tool for diversional therapy, that is to divert their minds from the disease and to make them less stressed. Literature can also used as a tool for diversional therapy. Through literature the affected will be able to identify themselves with the character and can get inspiration from it. It will help them in considering problems from a new perspective. It helps in removing ourselves from unpleasant realities. Not only the affected person, but the people around them can also relate to different characters of literature and that way they can provide enough support to the suffering. As Susan Sontag said before, everyone will have to face the dark sides of life. Literature can help in facing it. If we consider books like The Fault in Our Stars written by John Green and A Walk to Remember written by Nicholas Sparks, we can see how fiction helps in overcoming diseases.

The Fault in Our Stars written by John Green tells the story of Hazel Grace Lancaster and Augustus Waters, both suffering from cancer. Despite the sufferings, they take life in a positive way and decides to live life to the fullest. It is the, imaginary novel An Imperial Affliction written by Peter Van Houton, mentioned in the novel The Fault in Our Stars that brings the two close. Hazel describes the book as her obsession and she relies on it for support. Hazel’s relation with her favorite novel An Imperial Affliction shows the value of fiction. She describes the book as her personal bible. Through these the novel tells us that made-up stories can be truly important. Made-up stories may offer a temporary illusion that life has meaning, when it may not have.

Another book which I have read that shows how fiction helps in overcoming disease is A Walk to Remember written by Nicholas Sparks. It tells the story of Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan. The book tells how Jamie, who was suffering from cancer, inspires Landon and how it changes his life making him a better person. Similar to An Imperial Affliction mentioned in The Fault in Our Stars, Jamie keeps the Bible very close to her. She takes inspiration from the Bible whenever she needs. Jamie has great belief in God. She relies a lot on Bible for emotional support.

In life sooner or later one realizes the truth that life is inherently tough. It is important to face problems in life. Facing pain without denying it and without running in the opposite direction is a practical necessity. It helps in growing intellectually and emotionally strong. In the novels, The Fault in Our Stars and A Walk to Remember, one can see how disease or pain helped the characters in being better. It made them take their lives more seriously and they started to live each day considering it their last, trying their best. Therefore, the pain that comes along with problems or diseases is important and is a blessing. Pain is important as it shows how important the little things in life are and more importantly it shows how deeply we love those we care about. Although each feeling of pain has its own unique stings, they all have one common characteristic- it means one is alive.

Literature can be explained as the mirror of life. There is no part of life that has never been written about and so it mirrors and reflects what people think. It deals with real human emotions and problems. And so, literature can help a person, who is suffering to a great extent. It helps in keeping them happy by taking them to a whole new world. By choosing an inspiring work, which they can relate to, it can inspire them and help them in overcoming diseases.